Screaming Silence
by WhiteWolfKitsune
Summary: Sequel to Changing Colors. Edward Elric was once hunted by a wolf-demon born from the Gate, but manages to tame him before he does any real harm; to him, anyway. He now returns to seek the truth; and Edward is the only one that can help. Ed/Roy!Parental
1. Saved?

Introduction;

Commence.

_**-**_

_**Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. - Nathaniel Hawthorne**_

-

(Paper rustles)

-

DOCTOR: Kori P. Harrison.

RANK: 4

DOCTORS NOTES ON PATIENT Edward Elric (experiment 419), RESIDING IN THE Axel ward AT (enclosed).

SYMPTOMS: Nervousness, appears to be 'talking' to 'someone' or 'something'. Cannot stay still; will react to anyone entering the room. Bipolar, schizophrenic .

STATUS: Insane UNTILL PROVEN Sane BY OFFICIAL PSYCHOLOGISTS, RANK 2 TO 4.

SIGNS OF IMPROVEMENT:

Negative.

* * *

_Heheheehh. So you've found me. Congratulations. (There is sarcastic applause). Now, are you going to help me? No? You're just going to watch, right? Figures. That's all visitors ever do: watch. _

_Im not here for any reason. They put me here to drive me off the edge of sanity so I can have a taste of insanity while they slowly kill me. What do you mean Im already insane?! You're Insane!_

_Look, don't argue with me. I can't be bothered. Apology accepted. Yes, I am tired. They keep me awake a lot. It's those God-damn experiments. Yes, they are painful, but they are there to keep limits to what the human body can do. I suppose you could call me a Hamster of some sort; one that could snap you in half. (Evil chuckling)._

_Hey, hey, don't look at me like that. I can't hurt you; that's why the chains and barriers are here. (Chains rattle). I wouldn't hurt you anyway. You look nice. Do you have a family? Hmm. Ahhm. Ahhh, it sounds nice, too. Me? I had a father, a mother, and a brother, but I don't know where they are. Maybe they are looking for me. Maybe they are not. It's all bad for me anyway. _

_Hah, sympathy is for mortals. No, Im not mortal. My other half is a demon, who's telling me to rip you apart right at this very instant, but I am the good half. Though, it vexes me to think that I will probably never be looked at like a normal person again…_

_Oh, sorry. My bad. Anyway, what did you want me tell you? Oh, you wanted to know more about me? That's nice. I like you. (Smile) Have I already said that?_

_Well, Im Edward Elric. No, not anymore. I can never be the Full-metal alchemist again. It sucks, doesn't it? They let me in for a little while, and then this all happens. Yes, I was a hero. But look at me now; I just scare people._

_Yes, I do seem nice now. But I can change. I hurt people. I murder. Didn't you know that already?! Have you not looked at my Profile?!… You have? (A look of contentment). Ah, then it is all good. Well, actually, it isn't. _

_Yes, it is a shame. Now your just flattering me. Its been a while since anyone said I was a genius. Thank you. Aww, you think so? I've been told that Im cute before. Must be an affect I have on people, huh? (Dreamy look) Hmmm… this is pleasant. This is the first time someone has really spoken to me like this since before I was brought here. Im never going to forget this. _

_Hey, do you want to hear my story of how I got here? You do? Its long- Im warning you. And its violent. People get killed!... Ok, I'll tell you, if you really want to hear. _

_It started when this, this demon, was born. His name Is Z- What? Don't you want to know? Oh, Im not allowed to say it. Ok, fine, I won't. _

_Anyway, he caused some problems… and then he went away. But he came back… I thought it would be the same as before… But it wasn't… Im sorry… I don't really want to talk about it... _

_Well, how about I start from the middle- not when I first got him, but when he came back. Is that ok? Good. Well, it all started when-

* * *

_

"Edward! Come down! Dinners ready!"

Edward sped down the stairs, nearly bumping into Al who was sitting at the bottom. The smaller boy was coloring in something; a cat picture, maybe? Next to him, a real cat sat.

Pumpkin, the family pet, loved Alphonse more than all of them, and was often seen with him. Her pitch black fur was always neat and tidy, and her slanted emerald eyes where always shining whenever she looked at him.

Actually, Ed thought it was kind of creepy…

"Brother… you're late." Al scolded, collecting his coloring pencils and moving slowly out the way.

"Well, sorry, your highness," He mock bowed, making Alphonse smile. "The queen needs me." He trotted into the kitchen, stifling a giggle at the fact that Roy was wearing an apron.

"But, Angel-ca"

"Don't 'Angel-cake' me! You're burning dinner!" Riza hissed, making Roy back into the corner with nothing but his oven-mitts to protect him.

"Im sorry, my Petal!"

"Its ok, Roy. I forgive you. How long can I stay mad at my big, strong, military man?"

Edward shivered at the things Roy and Riza were saying to each-other, but accepted it. This was how a loving mother and father were supposed to act, right?

After all, he couldn't remember what his dad acted like around his mom…

"So, I guess there's not going to be any dinner." Edward smiled wearily, his expression matching the other's.

"I guess not." Riza laughed, throwing the burnt food into the bin. "We can always make more, though."

"Sure. This time, I'll pay attention to it." Roy chortled. "And maybe help out more…" He took off his mits and wiped his brow with his arm. It was hot at this time of year in Rizembool.

"Oh yes, and… come…to…er….Win…"

Edward blinked twice, and strained his ears. Roy's mouth was defiantly moving, but he suddenly couldn't hear half of it.

"What?"

"I said that the inspectors will come over soon to check the water supply. They have already been to Winry's house. What, have you got to much wax in your ears?" Roy joked, patting him on the back.

He nearly fell forward, and his vision blurred; It felt like someone was trying to crack open his skull. But, as soon as he felt it, it vanished, like it wa never there to start with.

"I feel Ill all of a sudden…" Ed murmured. "Im going to my room now." He darted out of the room before either of the adults could stop him, and slammed the door behind him.

_That was weird._ He thought, sitting down on his bed. _I… I couldn't hear him… _His eyes went wide for a second in alarm at a sudden thought that was occurring in his mind. _Maybe Im dying…! _He knew he was over-reacting, but it was his way. If you expect the worse, then any other news was good.

_Or maybe…_

He thought, somewhat hopefully.

_It's him.

* * *

_

_My shard-like reality was always near, but now it's so out of reach. I can't count how many times I have cut myself on it, but I still want it. I need it. It's not good to live in a fantasy world. Not good at all. _

_My breathing; I know It's strange, but I don't want to breathe. It's annoying to hear the sound echoing off the walls. It reminds me of how alone I am; there should be more than one person breathing. God, its mental torture._

_(Echoing silence)_

_I like butterflies. I am rather like a butterfly myself; an ugly monster waiting to transform into a beautiful creature that is gifted with flight and an innocent reputation. I was a butterfly, once. _

_But, as you know, when people touch butterflies, their wings crumple like delicate leaves and they either starve to death or are destroyed by other creatures. My fate was the latter. _

_I never got the chance to learn how to fly. _

_I was always doomed to crawl and be destroyed._

_And so…_

_I have to keep telling myself._

_I am Edward Elric._

_I am Edward… Elric._

_I am… Edward Elric._

_Or… or am I_

…

_A dying Butterfly?_

* * *

… This is weird…

Ok, welcome to Screaming Silence, the Sequel to Changing Colors, my other fic. If you don't read that, you may not know what this is all about! I have big plans for this story… I hope it will be better than the last one…

Anyhow, If your wondering about what the whole butterfly thing is about; I like butterflies! They are very psychological:D

And remember, this is the introduction. The rest of the story is going to be written out like a normal story. XD

Well, not much more to say… I love you? -Is being stared at weirdly-

Reviews will help WhiteWolfKitsune focus on the- hey! A cat! -Starts playing with it-

Kitsune-kun xxx

Ps: Rofl, Roy said angel-cake!


	2. Murder?

I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I know it took long to update, but we have recently started extreme GCSE course work in which I get at least three essays a week, and I cant keep up with them! And then I had to apply for work experience and do my exams!!!! GRRR IM SO STRESSED!!!

So, I have finally found time to write the next chapter (I still have more essays to write) now:3 Who cares about school work anyway!!

So here it is!

(Randomly I turned 15 last Sunday! Yay, me:D)

_-------_

_**Love is like a butterfly. It goes where ever is pleases, and pleases wherever it goes. - Author unknown.**_

_-------_

_Screaming silence._

…

There was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind; and it was familiar. He was _sure_ it was him. Positive. But then again, if it wasn't, he was getting his own hopes just to let them fall…

He coughed quietly and rose to his feet, performing cat-like stretches. It was getting late, and the sun over Rizembool was being knocked out of the sky by the pale moon, making the air cold and the winds stronger. The summer rain was late this year, which meant the harvests would be dry and useless. Edward would have to lend his help to the citizens in order for the crops to grow, which meant (unfortunately) he would have no free time to himself.

Suddenly, there was a scratching sound at his door: tiny claws raking against the wood. He tensed, but then relaxed when he realised it was just the cat wanting Ed to open the door for it.

"Next time, Cat, you can open the door yourself." He grumbled, opening it grudgingly as the cat slinked in and wrapped itself around his legs. He picked up the furry bundle and placed her on his bed where she plucked at the duvet with her round, neat paws and meowed happily as Edward began to stroke her.

"Where is Al? Has he abandoned you?" He joked, making Pumpkin hiss.

"Meerroow!"

"Ok, sure. Hey, I don't suppose you can help me?"

"Puuurrrr."

"Im looking for someone. Would you know where they are?"

"_Purrrrr._"

"Well, you're pretty much useless." Edward sighed, and scratched behind her ear. He meowed again, and began to purr even louder. She was just dozing off, when her ears pricked up, and she leapt of the bed. Edward looked up to find out why she left, and discovered that Alphonse was standing at the door.

"Brother, Mom is worried about you. Why did you run off like that?" He nagged, wagging his finger at him.

"Because I didn't want to worry her if I was suddenly sick all over the floor."

"Ewww! Why? Are you Ill?"

Edward rolled his eyes and stood back up to stretch again. "No, not any more."

Alphonse just looked at him in a confused manner, but decided to leave at that. After all: brother knows best.

"Well, I think you should go and talk to them anyway." Alphonse concluded, and left the room, Pumpkin following at his heel.

_But I don't want too._ Edward thought, but found himself walking down the stairs anyway. Talks like this always made him nervous, because they were unexpected and random. He didn't have time to prepare himself at all.

Wandering into the living room, he found that Riza was sitting by herself in the arm-chair. Roy must have already gone to sleep, that meant. She was reading something that Edward couldn't recognise.

"Oh, Edward." She said in a soft voice. "I didn't see you there." She blinked up at him with warm, amber eyes as he cautiously approached. Those eyes reminded him of his first mothers; always inviting and understanding- until… the accident…

"Sorry." Edward murmured, eyes downcast.

"It's ok. Is every-thing alright, Edward?" The look she was giving him made him squeak under pressure.

"Im fine, Mom. It was just a head-ache." Edward hated lying to her, but he needed too, to protect _himself_.

"Are you sure?" An eye brow was raised.

"Positive." An un-readable expression appeared.

"Well, if you say you're Ok, I believe you." She smiled. "Now, off to bed. I don't want you sleeping in tomorrow like you did today!" She laughed quietly to herself (most un-Riza like) and waved Edward off.

"Good-night, Mom."

"Good-night, Edward."

Edward smiled at her and spun around, leaving Riza with her book. It was on rare occasions when he saw her like that: so free and un-official. It was nice really, as she was finally letting go. It must be Roy…

He got back to his bed and splayed himself out on it, not bothering to change.

His life was so amusing.

* * *

_"Dum de dum de de dum de-"_

_"Stop it! Please! I beg of you!" _

_"Hmm? What? I'm not doing anything."_

_"Just send me back? What am I doing here?"_

_"You tell me."_

_It yawned slightly and continued to hum as it clicked its claws against the floor. The man in front of him cried in frustration. _

_"Dum dum de dum de de de dum dum-"_

_"Arrggghhhh! Just kill me! Kill-"_

_Blood spurted the surrounding area suddenly, and the mans bones cracked and splintered under the weight of its paw. _

"_Your boring." It drawled, and licked the blood off of one of its claws. _

"_I remember when living used be fun."

* * *

_

"Edward."

He buried his face further into his pillow. He didn't want to wake up yet.

"Don't make me torch your lazy arse."

Suddenly he was wide awake, and was staring at his slightly smug looking father.

"Pervert." Edward hissed, jumping out of bed. Roy just smirked again and placed his hand on his hips.

"Tssh, don't talk like that." He laughed and exited the room. Ed rolled his eyes and proceeded to get dressed slowly. It was just another day in the sunny countryside, in which Edward would wonder round uselessly, occasionally visiting Winry or helping around the house.

"I already miss Central." Edward sighed, and stumbled out of his room. "There's no action here."

"Then why don't you create some action?"

"Roy, you have no idea how pervy that sounds." Edward smirked at his father who was standing in the corridor randomly. Edward could only guess why he was there. "Stop flirting with me."

"What?!" Roy gasped like a fish, waving his hands around. "That's sick! What is it with teenagers and finding everything pervy! Flirting?! With another male?!"

"But you are flirting with me, father." Edward winked, secretly laughing at the blush that erupted on Mustangs face.

"Tha-that's sick! Why, children's imaginations these day! How sick! How twisted! I mean incest! How could you-"

"Only joking, Roy." Edward laughed as Roy's speech came to a close.

"You'd better." Roy smirked. "Because you wouldn't last a second in bed with me."

This time, it was Edwards turn to gasp as Mustang just waved him of and trotted down stairs, the devastated Edward following behind him.

Arriving at the kitchen, Roy retrieved a bear hug by Riza.

"How's my top dog today?"

"Perfect, my little kitten." He smiled as he kissed her. "I was just teaching Edward a lesson."

"Pervert." The boy hissed again, and trotted outside. He didn't feel hungry enough to have breakfast.

He stepped out onto the sunny porch with a hand over his eyes to shield them from the sun. If he had a swimming pool, he would so be in it… even if he would only be able to go in the shallow end.

_Hmm… swimming sounds nice…_

He placed a thoughtful hand on his chin, and put the other on his waist.

_Maybe I should-_

"Good morning, Edward!"

The voice made him jump. Looking down, he spotted none other than Winry Rockbell, who had not one, but two dogs on her. He appeared to be walking both at the same time, to her delight.

"How long have you had Riza's mutt for?"

"Edward!" She said horrified. "Hyate is a Shiba Inu mix! Not a mutt!" she patted the not so little dog and turned her attention back to the blonde boy.

"Riza let me borrow him for a few days. He keeps Den company!" The black dog in question woofed and wagged its tail.

"Want to help me walk them?"

"…" He looked down at the two, who were watching him intently with shiny, black eyes.

"Nope." He decided. "I'm more of a cat person."

"Fine!" Winry pouted, running off with the two dogs. "See you later!"

* * *

"… _That black one kind of looks like me… don't you think?"_

"_Wh-what black one?"_

"_I'm talking about the little puppy-dog."_

"_What pu-puppy do- ggwwahahaahaha!!!" He man screamed as black tendrils enveloped his body, snapping him in half as he was pulled into the darkness._

"_What?" It asked the Gate, who was silent. "Didn't you see the black dog?"_

_The Gate remained silent. _

"_Hmmm… it must be me."

* * *

_

"God, I am sooooo bored!" Edward sighed as he collapsed on the grass. "What I wouldn't give for some fun!"

He ripped a blade of grass in half absent-mindedly, tossing it aside and grabbing another one. He closed his eyes tiredly, and stared at the darkness behind his eyes. How annoying. He now wished they lived in Central instead of his home town.

_Just a while ago, my life was interesting and dangerous. Now…?_

Cue Pumpkin.

"Mrroowowow." The cat sounded lazily. She began to lick he fur flat with her neat, little tongue whilst Edward continued to stroke her.

"Your cute, you know." He smiled. "It's a shame your so… Al-like."

"You know, Edward, you should stop talking to the cats."

"You know, Winry, you should not sneak up on people."

He turned to the girl behind him, but was barely able to get a glimpse of her before he was jumped on by two furry bodies.

"Gerroff!" He laughed, trying to push the furry animals away before he was licked to death.

"They like you!" Winry tugged on the leads to pull them back, allowing Ed to get some air before he suffocated.

"They would…" He sniffed, and looked about for Pumpkin. She was long gone.

"So what are you doing here?"

"I'm busy being bored."

"Well, you will never guess what has happened!"

"What?"

"There has been a murder."

Edward was suddenly on the alert. Murder? When did this happen? It was barely mid-afternoon!

"Who? Where? When?"

"It happened last night, but they found the body today." She looked upwards as she struggled to remember the details. "I don't really know who it was. Some random guy, I suppose. But they found the body in a nearby barn, all stiff and stuff."

"Take me there." He decided quickly, standing up. "Finally, some action."

"… I don't really want to go back there…" Winry said timidly, hands in front of her shaking. "…Its not nice…"

"Then I'll go. Tell me where it is."

"On the West drive, beside the pastures."

"Thanks, Winry! Tell Roy and Riza where I am!" He called as he sped off towards the scene. Winry replied something back to him, but he couldn't hear her.

Although it was sick, running towards a murder scene like that, he couldn't help but think he could help out somehow. Could it have been an alchemy related death?

He quickened his pace a little, till he was almost at break-neck speed. He could see a crowd- a small crowd, but a crowd none the less- gathered at the front of a standard looking barn. There was about two officers outside, telling everyone to go away.

_Where's the rest of the police?_

He wormed his way to the front of the crowd, where there was tape surrounding the entrance to the barn and contamination signs littering the floor.

"What happened here?" He asked the officer.

"Sorry, I don't have-"

Edward showed him his pocket watch.

"Sorry, Sir! I didn't know!" The man bowed. "No-one is allowed beyond this point, as the body is contaminated."

"Contaminated?"

"Poison. A nasty one, too. If anyone not wearing a suit went in there, you'd probably inhale it or something. I'm just here to guard, sir…"

_Poison? What a weird method…_

"Where's the poison?" Edward asked, interested.

"Don't know-"

"I want to go in." Edward climbed under the barriers and entered the building, ignoring the mans protests.

A normal barn, with normal barn stuff. Hay, haystacks, hay piles, hay… body. He expected people to be in there, investigating, but it looked like no-one was on scene. The body itself was in the centre of the barn, hidden partly by shadow. The man looked like he was laughing.

_It was probably suicide. _Edward concluded, and took a closer look. The man had short, brown hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a simple black top with a brown jacket, and wore jeans on his lower half.

There was no poison in sight.

_The poison… I know… no poison… _

"Hmm? Did you say something?" He asked the guard, who was standing cautiouslyin the door way.

"Yes! You have to get out here!" The man panicked, stepping closer to Edward.

_There is no poison… no poison… death by…_

"There isn't any poison…?"

"What are you talking about, Sir! The detectives have just gone back to the office to get the specialised kit!" The man shivered frantically. "We have to leave-"

"He wasn't poisoned. Something tells me he died another way…"

…_It… bite… I'm here… find me…_

"Um… I have to b-be somewhere…" Ed stuttered. This was getting creepy, now. He sped out of the door, pushing past the man and running as far away as possible until he got to a nearby tree, where he stopped to gain his breath.

… _Please!!… It wont stop… help… its coming for me!!…_

Edward gritted his teeth and collapsed against the tree, mind whirring. And then it stopped whirring.

_Who are you?_… _Don't let it speak!!… Its evil!!… Gaar-_

There was a weird crunching sound in his head.

_Whoopsie… I just crushed my client… Wait…this is Ed- ward, right?_..._ Ive been waiting… I'm going to kill you slowly and painfully. I know where you are, Edward... My client told me before my paw accidentally fell on his head... _There was a deep chuckle. _…I've been waiting for you…_

Edwards eyes flew open as he gasped for breath. What? That… that couldn't have been him… that man… the other one that was talking… was that the victim? He was at the Gate? Why?

Ed punched the floor hard with his auto mail, cracking the earth.

What the hell just happened?

* * *

Dum dum dum!!! Confused? Dont worry… all will be explained next chapter… 

Thankyou;

Signed-Edward Elric, Dark Reborn, Teh SpRInKeLZ, Scarlet Sand Demon, jenelric, Dark Chocolate Alchemist, Bar-Ohki, EdElricRules, Tia Ordona 23, Yakami, Ara Mei, TenshiElric, XxHouranxX, and hisana333 for reviewing!!!

Sorry I cant answer, but my teacher is in the room and is suspious as to what I am doing!!1 (Yes… I am on fanfiction . net instead of doing work…)

Love you all!!

WhiteWolfKitsune xxx


	3. Reunion?

DELAY!! DELAY!!

Believe it or not, I had this chapter ready ages ago, but I couldn't reach a computer to upload it! But I did finally get it done, and have already begun the next chapter. :D

On another note…

Lol, Work Experience sorted! Im going to work at an book/art retail shop!! XD And on the subject of my school work and such: Got a (A-) in the English speech exam, and a (B+) in the novel essay! I think I did rather well… -Looks at history grade- …(C+)…. o.O I did mostly well…

Sorry for the delay (again)! Arigato! -Bow-

………

_**The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough. Rabindranath Tagore**  
_

--

_Screaming Silence. _

…

_Murderer…_

…_No… poison…_

…_Help me!!_

…_Im going to kill you…_

…_slowly and painfully. _

"Gah!"

Edward woke with a start, sweat pouring off of him in rivers. Ever since the encounter at the barn with Zeit, his supposed friend who had vowed to destroy him, he hadn't been able to sleep. Then again, the encounter only happened around 12 hours ago.

He pulled the covers closer to himself and cast his golden eyes down at the floor, concentrating his gaze on a single piece of fluff randomly sitting on the wooden surface. All that commotion with Zeit and the hatred should have been over by now. It happened so long ago, it was almost forgotten by many. The murders… the false war… the Dragon.

Ah, how Tor had fought relentlessly, yet how Zeit and many others had paid the price for his appearance. The Gate had gotten a feast, the day of the final howl, yet it still hungered for more. Didn't Zeit disappear when he was sacrificed? Something must have defiantly gone wrong there.

And… Why didn't Zeit remember?

He could picture him now; at first, a beast with six legs and stag-like antlers, a million eyes littering its body and a scary grin that could kill you before he got to you. But, after that, a puppy-like figure with a small transmutation on his head, who liked to tease and be sarcastic, and his wolf-like stance in which he would battle with and use his speed to his advantage. Clearly, Edward had had an impact on him. After all; he wasn't created to do good. He was created to brainwash and deceive.

For some reason, the Gate hadn't taken him back. Maybe he had another purpose for living? Though, at the end of it all, he had indeed made contact with it, and the wolf had said to 'investigate the mans death' more.

Edward yawned and put his head back on his pillow.

He'd investigate later; he had sleep to catch up with.

* * *

The first thing he noticed was that the barn looked as normal as can be, which was surprising, since it had been cleared up pretty quickly. In fact, the barn looked clean and fresh. It almost stopped him from entering, as it was private property, but who could really tell the Full-Metal Alchemist where to go?

_Nothing it out of the ordinary. _He pondered, scanning the area. _But there wasn't any poison… it doesn't make sense!_

He stomped his foot in a very childish way and got low to the ground to scan it better. The morning sun was making his job easier for once, for there was usually something that interfered randomly. So far, there was nothing. Hay, gravel, grit; nothing more. But, in closer inspection…

_A… circle? _There was, indeed, a circle. Not a perfect one; more like a circle with an indent in it. It was also fairly big, around the same size as his fist in fact, and quite deep. And, as soon as he discovered the big one, he discovered four little ones surrounding it, these ones being more of an oblong shade and having pointed tops. Edward looked up flatly, ruffling his hair.

_A paw print. How coincidental. _Edward turned and left the barn without a shadow of a doubt about what had happened. Zeit had killed that guy. However, what puzzled Edward was _why. _Edward didn't even know him.

That sly creature had so many abilities, it hurt to think about them. But, however sly he was, he wasn't _Edward, _who was a man against the world. There must be something linking all of this together… but what? What did the death of the man mean?

Maybe it had something to do with the last incident…

"_Im going to miss you."_

"_Likewise… After all: I had no-one else to talk too before you came."_

"_I know… idiot."_

The scene still brought tears to his eyes, but he refrained. He had to have a clear head if he was going to figure it out-

Edward suddenly snapped his fingers like Roy would when using his alchemy; with defiance and speed. His memories! Zeit used to have Ed's memories, and if he remembered where Edward was, it means that he could get him back…However…

"_Im going to try and destroy myself, if the gate will let me. But if it comes down to the worse, I will erase my memory, so I won't know how to break free again."_

"_Stay! You don't need to go!"_

"_I do. I called upon the Gate, and you can't receive without giving…"_

That means… he failed…

He sprinted back to the house, his mind buzzing with excitement. His parents stared as he entered the house loudly and clumsily, but didn't say a word, since they knew how easily Edward was riled up when he entered the house like that.

"Edward?" Al poked his head out of the kitchen in interest. "What's the rush?"

"Nothing, Al!" Edward replied guiltily, and continued to fly through the house, up the stairs. Al shrugged him off. His brother was always running for no reason.

Once in his bedroom, he got out one of his infamous ink brushes and started to draw on himself. He wouldn't be able to go to the Gate, but there was always a way to make Zeit come to him…

The curls on his forehead and arms were decorative and numerous, but not enough to look cluttered on both auto-mail and human arm. There was a pause, in which Edward looked uncertain. If his theory was correct, then he should be able to stay in this world, yet send a message to the next 'by accident'. Of course, because it is 'by accident', Zeit will be able to see it and Edward should not owe anything to the Gate.

The alchemy itself was simple. He would use the alchemy that Garser used to make Zeit and Tor, thus 'rippling', as it were, the bridge between the worlds. If it didn't work, then nothing would happen. But, if it did, then Edward would suddenly find his room a little more crowded.

Now that he knew Zeit was still there, he could finally get him. Before, all those lonely nights before, he wasn't sure whether he should call him or nor, because if he wasn't there, it would be a waste of energy. Now, he was positive it would work.

_Here goes nothing…_

_Clap!!_

The circles glowed black.

* * *

Zeit's ears pricked at the sound, and he raised his great, horned head upwards towards the invisible sky. Although his had none of his eyes open, he could recognise that clap anywhere. He could sense the symbols too, swirling around on the yellow as clear as day.

_Could it be? _He thought, getting to his feet whilst opening his eyes. He had seen that before, somewhere in a far off memory in his mind. It was a weird, echoing feeling; almost like when you have the same day twice. Then, suddenly, he realised what it was he was staring at.

_I've got you!! _Howling furiously, he leapt through the thin air towards 'existence', as it were. _Bad move!!_

He clawed his way through the many layers that surrounded the world, ignoring the Gate who was creaking loudly because it was left alone again. The markings were actually allowing him to slip through the Gate's range, allowing him to break free of his yellow prison for the first time he could remember.

_Im free!_

* * *

_He should come… _Edward was pacing up and down in his room quietly, waiting for something to happen. _Those circles… that alchemy… it should all be familiar to him._

"_Looking for me?"_

Edward jumped, but tried to look calm.

"Yes. Got some questions for you."

"_You don't fear me? How disappointing. I was looking forward to seeing you squirm."_

"You cant even touch me."

The snapping muzzle lined with hundreds of teeth stopped short of Edwards face, making the wolf howl in frustration. He eventually gave up, and turned his many eyes on Edward with pure hate burning through them.

"_You used the Gate Alchemy that my creator used to lure me here," _He snarled, fur bristling, _"Knowing that I couldn't touch you because of that cursed thing!!"_

So he wasn't free. He couldn't touch Edward because of the markings that were currently drawn on him. But as soon as they washed off…

"… You may not remember…" Edward suddenly said softly. "But I do."

"…_What?"_

"When you were leaving me, you said you would erase your memory so you wouldn't be able to break free of the Gate. But, you obviously didn't do it right, since you are able to kill innocent people-"

"_Innocent. Hah."_

"What do you mean by that?" Edward was puzzled by the weird look the wolf had in his eyes.

"_That man wasn't innocent." _He drawled lazily.

"What?!"

"_No-one in this world is innocent, and that is why I am here; to cleanse the world- I think."_

Edward looked at him flatly with suspicious eyes. "What are you talking about."

"_How ever, Edward Elric will still be seen as a danger to many, and so will have to be watched constantly by a member of the State. We cannot forget the crimes he has committed, but we can remember the feats he has preformed." _Zeit recited cheerfully. _"The Fuhrer's degree, remember? People out there are angry, Edward. And evil, too." _

"I know, Zeit. But remember that everyone has some good inside them somewhere."

Ed could see something stirring in all of the eyes of the beast as he made an odd _hrrr_ing noise and sat down on the floor, his muzzle still reaching the top of Edwards head. Strangely, no-one had come upstairs to check on the boy; yet.

"… _I…remember."_

Ed gave him a sympathetic look which the wolf didn't register, as he was lost in his thoughts. This was all so sudden, but Edward didn't understand how it tied in with the death of that man.

"The guy that died…"

"_-Had been stalking you for a long time now." _Zeit flicked an ear wistfully, breaking out of his trance. _"He is from the 'Pro-duty' ward, actually."_

"Pro-duty? What's that?" Edward was thoroughly confused, which made the wolf smirk in triumph.

"_Wouldn't you like to know." _He giggled insanely, all eyes rolling.

Edward huffed and folded his arms across his chest in annoyance. He didn't want to play games like this.

"Stop messing with me and tell me!"

"_Tsk tsk tsk. Such impatience. Pro-duty is an top-secret facility. Not for you to know about." _

The demon laughed again, and flagged his tail like a squirrel in happiness. If he couldn't make Edward squirm, then he was going to mess with his mind as much as he could.

"Edward! Are you ok in there?" It was Riza, knocking on his door daintily. Edward walked around the wolf to the door and pushed against it, in case it opened by accident.

"Fine, Mom! Doing… er… guy stuff!" Edward couldn't believe how wrong that sounded, and Riza panicked a little behind the door.

"Oh! Oh! Sorry!" She exclaimed quickly. "Do you wasn't me to send your father up here?"

"NO!!" That was the last thing he needed. "Its ok! Im fine!"

He heard Riza slowly walk away from the door, leaving Ed to his privacy.

_If I was doing 'guy stuff', why the hell would I want Roy up here with me?!_ He mentally screeched, and spun round to face his guest. But, unfortunately, the room was empty. Not a trace of wolf to be found.

"Hey, where are you?!" Edward growled, looking around. There wasn't anywhere the wolf could hide under in the first place. Ed ran over to the ajar window, which was slightly open, but shook his head. That window was about the size of Zeit's head alone. There was no way-

"Hey!"

Edward looked down. Zeit was sitting on the grass outside the front door with a grin on his face.

"Thanks for setting me free! I owe you one!" The demon didn't say it in a nice way, and his eyes were laughing. His Gate work allowed him to stay on Earth for only a short time, but now that he wasn't in the Gate's possession…

"And your wrong!" The wolf turned his head slightly as he began to bound away from the house. "Not everyone has good inside them!!"

"No… no!" Edward growled and flew back down the stairs, out the door, onto the lawn.

If he got free, it would be his fault.

And, to his absolute horror, the wolf had vanished.

* * *

A pure black nuzzle was snuffling upon the grass, inspecting the tiny ants and the beginnings of flowers with interest. They were pretty, and for some reason he was enjoying the sun and the feeling of grass beneath his pads. To anyone looking at him from afar, he looked like a black smudge on a green backdrop, but if they dared to get closer, they would see him in all his splendour; or lack of.

Shivering pleasantly, he pushed his antlers to the ground and walked slowly forward, gorging the ground out neatly. He had always wanted to do that; as in, he had always wanted to use his antlers for something. He didn't even know why they were there, but he guessed they could spear people if he hit someone head on.

"Life's weird like that." Talking on the outside sounded weird, as his voice sounded familiar, like he was mimicking something else. But, what other thing could really be like him?

"Nothing, that's what!" He laughed, and bounded up. "I am my own!" He raced through the long grass of the western banks beside the river, snapping at butterflies and whatever else happened to fly past his face. Before long, he arrived at a little river, flanked by golden banks of reeds as the water sparkled brightly.

There was many wild-life; birds of all colours were pecking at the water, and the wolf could see a fish or two occasionally drifting by, wearing bright, summer colors. Squirrels were chattering happily to themselves, and bees buzzed around in the sky, being knocked off course every now and then. There was even a dog, a Beagle, across the lake, which was lapping the water happily.

"Ruff, ruff!" It barked, staring at Zeit with big, brown eyes. It had a happy look on its face; or maybe it was just stupid.

"What?" Zeit asked, but it only shook its tail harder and didn't reply. Slowly, it wadded into the water, but the further in it got, the harder it was to swim against the current.

"Don't!" The wolf yelled, but the little Beagle was now struggling. Zeit looked round. There was no-one there to help it but him.

_For gods sake. _He huffed, leaping heroically into the water. _What has the world come too?_

The water wasn't that deep to him, due to his size, and he easily plucked the puppy out of the river and swam back to shore, where he roughly dropped it on the ground. The little thing was shivering and whimpering, nervously peering around it in case the river came back to claim it.

"Ok now?"

The puppy just looked upwards with a small bark and licked Zeit's paw in thanks. Nearby, another figure emerged from a patch of reeds nearby nervously, drinking in the sight before reacting. It was a girl, no older than nine, carrying a small basket and a dog lead.

"…R-Rolo, come here, b-boy!" She said, the puppy quickly at her heels. Her eyes never left the wolf. The wolf with six legs and a thousand eyes.

"T-thank you. For s-saving him." She murmured, dipping her head in thanks. The wolf nodded, and she disappeared in a flurry of movement, her dog chasing after her as she ran out of sight.

"Wasn't scared of me either, eh?" Zeit frowned, peering at the water. "Is anyone actually scared of me anymore?"

"…Not… really…"

Zeit spun round to meet Edward Elric with a snarl.

"Awwww. That was actually kind of cute. You rescued a puppy." Edward smiled, not un-kindly, but not very friendly either.

"How did you find me?"

"Not important. Now, about you running off like that."

"What of it? I don't really want to go back to the Gate. Its so boring." The demon smirked, lowering his head in a threatening way. "And I suppose you want to put me back there, like you did before?! It was all your fault I was there in the first place!"

"How many times do I have to tell you?! I didn't put you there. You sacrificed yourself-"

"Hah!" The wolfs smile got wider. "I would never sacrifice myself for anyone!"

"The other you did."

The wolfs ears dropped and he snarled threateningly. Edward also took up an attacking stance, but didn't really plan on moving in for an attack at anytime.

"Other me, eh?! Would the other me rip you to shreds like I am about to do?!"

"No."

"Well then he is a completely different person!!"

The wolf sprang forward, but Edward rolled underneath him and the demon sailed over his head. He landed perfectly on his feet, spinning around to kick outwards with his back feet, but Ed dodged again.

"We used to fight together. I know most of your moves." Edward said without humour. Zeit just glared back.

"You could almost say we were… partners."

"Partners?"

"Yeah." Edward moved closer daringly, trying to close the gap between the two.

"You're a crazy guy, you know that?" The demon was laughing crazily, as if someone had told the funniest joke of all. "Im not like that, _Edward._"

"How so?"

"I want to remember. I don't want to have to have these… these weird nightmares, these absurd visions or these strange thoughts anymore!!"

"Then let me make an offer."

The wolfs ears cocked to show he was listening.

"If you want to go, then leave. But, if you want know more about yourself, then you are welcome to come with me. You have as long as you want to decide. But, I am warning you." Edward sounded deadly serious. "If you do so much as to harm any living thing, I _will _hunt you down."

"Then, Edward, I bid you goodbye; for now."

And Zeit slipped out of sight. Edward smirked.

_He'll be back. _The boy laughed. _The Zeit I knew is coming back. All he needs to do is find himself._

_No. _Zeit thought as he heard Edwards prediction. _Im not forgiving you that easily._

* * *

Reveiws!! :D

Anemone Sorel: I luffs parental too! :3

foreverforgotten5: -Jealous look- God, I have ALWAYS wanted one of those dogs! I had one on Nintendog's, but then I sold the game… -cry- Thank you!

Scarlet Sand Demon: HEY, MY CAPITAL USING FRIEND!! Lol, I am still looooving that kitty icon you use! I must steal it someday… -shifty look-

Dark Chocolate Alchemist: Im still not old enough, though, lol! And school work is just overall BORING!! XD Im a very confusing person, as it were. Most of the things I write just don't make sense!! :D

Ara Mei: -Is being attacked by monkey- GAAAHHHH!! XD Lol, that man was randomly added for sympathy effect! :D :D :D

hisana333: Hhmmm… yes…. Incest…. -Evil look- There is always pervertedness when Roy is involved! :D

Teh SpRInKeLZ: Lol, I love your name!

Tia Ordona 23: Im just pervy by accident… -shifty eyes- I should really be doing school work at school, but I cant be bothered! :D

jenelric: Did you see my grades?! Im failing in school too lol! XD One day, I MIGHT do some work… -tumble weed-

Bar-Ohki: Crazy stuff in which no-one understands (even the authoress doesn't know what is happening) is happening… XD

UraharaFangirl90: Eds home town must be so boring… the only thing there worth looking at/ doing is Ed!! XD

Thank you all! -group hug-

If you are wondering why this chapter is quick, its because my story line would go on forever if it was more than this! XD Stupid WWK! -Hits self-

I'll be drawing some fanart for this soon, so watch out for it on meh DeviantART. (Im WhiteWolfKitsune on there, too)

Much love, people. Lol, Im not dead!! XD

WhiteWolfKitsune xxx

Ps: If Ed WAS doing 'guy-stuff' in his room, would Roy _want _to be there?!


	4. Decision?

God. GodGodGod.

... Sorry.

I have a perfectly good reason for taking so long with this! I swear!! -Sweatdrop-

Have you ever fell out of love with an anime? It happened to me. I just lost interest with FMA. I discovered D. Gray-man, and Natsume Yujinchou, and a few other stray anime's, and became obsessed with them. ;w; So, I completely forgot about FMA! But, recently, I watched the _whole series _again, and with the arrival of the new series, I am reborn!! Bleh!!

Also, some other stuff happened, like I leave school in three weeks and have major tests, and my cat died, which sent me into a depression, and some other jazz. But, I am back now, and I am determined to finish this as I started! I have my plan, I have already started the next chapter, and thus, I am reborn, a better writer that before! So, can we get the ball rolling again?

Here we go. :3

* * *

_Screaming Silence…_

"Come back?! Come back?!" He was snapping at the dainty blades of grass with sharp jaws, but they just seemed to slip through the gaps between his teeth. "He wants me to come back?!" He tilted his ears towards the direction that Edward had walked off in.

"How can I come back when I don't know where I was?!"

Shaking his fur, and then scuffing the ground, he sighed heavily, the chains of freedom weighing down on him. He still felt like he was shackled to the gate, which he was coming to resent with all of his being.

"Damn it all, I don't want to remember. I know who I am!"

_Where did my name come from?_

"I know my own future!" He watched as a lonely butterfly fluttered past, a silhouette against the dying sun. "I am my own! _I am my own!_"

The butterfly didn't pay any attention, and drifted on the soft breeze into the distance.

"Or maybe… I am something else?"

* * *

"Oh, Edward? Where have you been?" Riza was busy doing housework, a wet towel draped around her neck as she tried not to overheat.

"I was out seeing an old friend." Edward yawned, about to head upstairs when he saw a spiral of flame dance past the window. Intrigued, he went round the back to see Roy with his ever famous gloves on, creating shapes out of flames as Al clapped happily and requested things.

"A dog!" He squealed, and at his command, Roy had clicked his fingers and a quite scary looking dog appeared, chasing and invisible object across the lawn. Edward cocked an eyebrow at him, and the man laughed.

"Entertainment. Plus," he cracked his back, "I need practise."

"God, old man, you need more exercise."

"At least I'm not sh-"

Al leapt to his feet to cut Roy off before he finished the sentence and caused a potential war.

"Maybe you could teach Ed some!" Al grinned, looking at his father in adoration. Roy giggled to himself and then raised an accusing finger at the blonde.

"This child couldn't learn to master fire!"

"I'm almost seventeen!!" Edward fumed, stomping his feet. "And I could do it any day!!"

"Oh yeah?" The older man smirked. "Lets do it."

They could all hear Riza sigh from within the kitchen. She obviously knew that this was going to result in disaster, because all of their competitions ended in disaster. She jut ignored them and let them pay for their own mistakes.

"We put on one glove each. Me the right one, you the left one, and we both aim for the tree over there, got it?" The tree was close and half dead anyway. The man was looking forward to carnage.

"Got it." Edward slipped the glove on casually, and positioned his arm in the way he had seen Roy do it thousands of times. Al, ever the sensible one, counted them down.

"Three,"

Looks of concentration appeared,

"Two,"

Stances got lower,

"One,"

Fingers tensed,

"GO!"

They both clicked at the same time. From one hand, came a rush of fire which enveloped the tree. From the other, came nothing more than a couple of sparks.

"Damn it!" Edward whined, repeatedly clicking his fingers. Over and over again he clicked, yet nothing more than sparks were produced.

"Not as easy as it looks, eh?" His father smiled cockily as Al ran around behind him, throwing water at the now smouldering tree. "You were not concentrating enough. You just wanted to _beat me._"

Edward pouted and turned away from you. "I'll beat you, one day. I'll practise, and you never know, _I _could be the next flame alchemist." As he finished, Roy snatched his glove away from him and put it tenderly in his pocket.

"I highly doubt that." He smirked.

* * *

There was a low hum in the air as the sun started to set on Rizembool. Outside, insects where making noise and the heat in the air disappeared, and instead became tolerable. Gazing up at the hazy sky, he chewed thoughtfully on a grass stalk.

_Maybe he wont come back. _

Edward swept the fields with his vision. Nope, definitely no wolf there. Though secretly, somewhere in his mind, he was sure he would come back- eventually.

"Brother?" Al appeared at the doorway to the house. Ed's gaze softened as he met the eyes of his brother.

"I'm just relaxing." He smiled, as Alphonse joined him.

"Yes, we used to do this a lot, right?"

"Yes! I remember, once, when you were way too young to remember, me and you sat on the doorstep until the sun set, just talking. Mom was panicking about where we were, and searched the house, but she didn't realise we were here all along!!"

He let the laugher fill him. His brother joined in too, both emitting that innocent sound as they remembered happier days.

"Silly mom." Al sniggered.

"Yeah, mom was always doing things like that."

You could only grieve so much. It's better to remember the people as they lived, not that they had died. And the boys, now with their new family, were happy to remember their 'first' mom as someone they had loved to the point of desperation.

All of a sudden, something caught Ed's keen eyes. There was a pair of stark black ears, poking out of the long grass, quite a way away from them, before they disappeared.

"Al, I'm going for a walk." He said suddenly. "Tell mom and dad where I am, ok?" He got up, stretched, and walked away from the house along the dirt path, leaving a bewildered Alphonse to find their parents with a somewhat sad look on his face at his brothers absence.

The ears reappeared again in a different location in the grass, followed him. There was a lot of long grass in the countryside, and as Ed walked along, looking like nothing was happening, he became aware of the sound of rustling in the stalks. He turned, walking into the long grass which shielded his follower. It felt strange; it reached up to waist and was bristly in places, but behind him, the black fur brushed against the thick grass silently and stealthily. Finally, he reached a shallow hollow in the middle. The house could barely be seen now.

"Come out. No-one ever comes this far into _this _grass."

Sure enough, Zeit crept forward, having crawled on his stomach through the grass to avoid being seen.

"Damn you, making me wade through this stupid grass, it hurts!" The wolf whined, scratching behind his ear with his rear leg. His antlers had attracted prickly leaves and pine cones to stick to them, and he was covered in pollen, too. Resisting the urge to sneeze, he sat down and stared at Edward, smiling all the same.

"That isn't what I came here to discuss with you." Edward snorted impatiently. "Are you going to come with me, or not?"

"I…" All eyes were closed. It was good, because it kind of scared Edward when they were all open. "…will come with you-"

"I knew it-"

"Ah! But, I have my rules." The wolf grinned. The boy grimaced. This was just like the first time.

"One. You tell me _everything _that happened long ago_. _Simple as that. Two. I will listen to whatever you say, as long as you to listen to me in return."

"… Listen to you?"

"Listen to _me._"

The gears inside Ed's head whirled. These rules made no sense. They could mean anything, and knowing Zeit, he was going to twist words and mutilate them beyond recognition.

_What does he mean, 'listen to him'?!_

"You'll see!" The wolf cackled to himself, reading Ed's mind perfectly. The boy blushed in response. "You said I couldn't hurt anyone anyway, so it shouldn't be a problem! And last but no least, _Edward… _I get free will."

"What do you mean by 'free will'?" Ed said cautiously.

"I get to do _whatever _I want, if I feel its _best _for both of us."

Edward was unsure about that last one.

"Edward, at some point in time, these rules will make sense; _to both of us. _They may seem insignificant now, but at a later point in time, you will see the positive side, or the fault, of these rules." Zeit purred. "But of course, I won't reveal anything to you; yet."

"…Fine, Zeit. Play it like that. I will let you stay with me with these rules, if you are on good behaviour. Any nonsense… and you are out." Edward smiled evilly. "And then you will _never _find out who you are."

"Bastard!" The beast spat. "Don't threaten me; I'm not a little puppy-dog for you to pet."

_You used to be._

"Well, to come into my house, you can't look like that."

"What am I supposed to look like?!"

"The old you…" The boy circled him, eyeing him crucially. "Could turn into a puppy-"

"I have dignity." The wolf snarled. "Don't ridicule me!"

"Well, how about a wolf? Smaller, and smaller antlers?"

Zeit narrowed his eyes. He wasn't quite sure what a 'wolf' really looked like. He sucked in his breath and collapsed his arms, so they disappeared in a blur of motion. He shrank his antlers into horns, and all his eyes disappeared until he only had the two on his face. Finally, he himself visibly shrank to the size of a large dog, a VERY large dog, where he stood, menacing and angry looking.

Yes, he looked just like he used to.

He circled around, trying to see himself. He bit his tail, rolled around on the ground, and jumped up and down. What a weird feeling; it was like being in a different body entirely.

"Understand, Edward." The wolf mused. "I am desperate."

Edward frowned. He guessed it was really bothering him, being connected to Edward and not knowing why. Even so, the blonde alchemist grinned and gave him the thumbs up, much to Zeit's disapproval.

"Welcome to the world of good… again!" Edward beamed. He walked over to him and patted the wolf on his head, hastily withdrawing his hand when Zeit snapped at it. He managed to clamp on and rip the material on the auto mail hand tearing off his sleeve.

"Watch it!" Ed huffed. "You can't just bite-"

"Don't ever touch me!" Zeit cut him off. "Just hurry up and take me home!"

Edward scowled on the outside, but inside, he was smiling.

_Heh… he said 'home'. _

* * *

Roy looked at the clock on the wall in anger. Where was that boy? Dinner, which had been lovingly prepared by him and Riza, was getting cold by now!

"Damn child!" He huffed.

"What's wrong, dear?" Riza poked her head out from round the stairs into the living room.

"Its Edward, he's out by himself." Roy pulled out some of his hair in stress and turned to her with a desperate face.

"But its still quite light out, Roy." She sighed and entered the room, causing Roy to stand up. He moved over to her and held her hand.

"I know, kitten, I know." He purred. "But, of course, I can't help but worry."

"That's _my _job. And if I am not worrying, neither should you." She laughed tenderly and kissed him on the cheek, making him smile. "But, If I am not mistaken, I can hear auto-mail approaching."

Sure enough, the dull _clunk _of metal could be hear outside in the quiet air. Roy breathed a sigh of relief, let go of Riza and opened the door, stepping outside. As soon as he did, he stopped dead in his tracks.

There was a wolf… with antlers. He looked at Ed's sleeve. It was ripped clean off, and the auto mail looked scratched.

_Whoosh!!_

Ed didn't know when Roy had put on his gloves, but the rush of fire that spiralled towards Zeit was enough to tell him that they were on. The boy cart wheeled away from the flames in just enough time, but he couldn't see Zeit anywhere.

"Roy!"

"Back off, Edwa-!!"

Zeit suddenly sprung from the side at the onyx-haired man, maw open and ready to do some damage. Roy ducked, and to avoid setting his house on fire, ran out into the open. The demon followed quickly, hot on his heels.

"You bastard!" Roy panted.

"I could say the same for _you!!_" Zeit leapt up into the air with the intention of landing on Roy's back, but Roy span around and clicked his fingers in quick succession blindly in hope of hitting him. Sure enough, he heard a pained howl as the series of mini explosions ended with a heap of black fur hitting the ground hard.

Roy stood there, eyes trained on his prey, fingers outstretched.

"Don't mess with my family!" He hissed.

"…Heh…hehhehehhhe… you can't kill me…"

On the black lump, two golden eyes appeared, wide and golden in the charred grass. The wolf got to his feet, bones cracking under the strain, fur tingling as the burnt ends fizzled and smoked, and mouth open in a loose snarl. Being the size of a small big cat made him a force to recon with, even in this form.

Edward was quick to run in front of the bedraggled creature and spread his arms out in protection.

"You!" He turned to Zeit. "Don't fight or attack _him!!_" He then swung his head round after receiving nothing but an angry growl. "And Roy, what are you doing?!"

The man's gaze burned him as hard as any of his flames.

"He's back?" The older alchemist asked with a harsh frown. "How?!"

"Don't you remember?! He saved my life!!"

"After he threatened it!"

The two stood, eyes locked. There was no reasoning with the Flame alchemist after he had made a decision. Behind the two. Zeit was standing shakily, everywhere smelling like burnt fur, no matter where he pointed his nose. He was angry. No, _furious. _But, no trouble, no trouble; there was to be no hurting his family (though, he could rough 'em up, right?) if he wanted to find out more about himself. And so he walked around Ed's field of protection so that he instead was protecting the boy, fur bristled and tense.

"I saved the boy from capture!" He hissed. "That murder in the barn; I set it up, made it look like it was poisoned, but _I_ killed him, because he was stalking Edward so that he could capture him!!"

"How would _you _know that?!" Roy's fingers twitched threateningly.

"You _won't _trust my words_. _But you trust your son?!" It hit a chord within the man to hear a sentence like that. "Yes? No? Either way, if I _wasn't here _then HE wouldn't be here either." His tail lashed side to side threateningly.

Roy looked unsteadily to Edward.

"…Is this true?"

The boy nodded enthusiastically.

Roy let his fingers drop to his side. Glancing at the house, which was quite a way away from them, he could see Riza at the step, hand gun in her hand, and Al, looking extremely confused. He made a cutting motion to them and Riza dropped her stance.

"What do you expect to accomplish by bringing him here, Ed?"

"I want to find out why he was trying to capture me."

"And where do you expect him to live?"

"… With us, like before?"

"……."

"He's safe, Roy, just like before. Look." Edward grabbed and antler and yanked in roughly, pulling the wolf to one side so that he stumbled, a confused look on his face.

_I thought I told you not to touch me, boy?!_

_Prove that you can handle this, please?_

And so he was forced to grit his teeth and ignored it.

"See? _I _ripped my shirt by accident, not him."

Many thoughts were racing through Roy's mind. Was his son in danger? Was this creature as dangerous as before? Were they both telling the truth? He couldn't see anything but desperation in Edwards eyes…

"He lost all his memories, Roy." Edward said softly. "I am helping him get them back-"

"Fine." Roy huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked down onto the creature, who looked expressionless. "Is he going to try to assassinate my family from under my nose?"

"Well, if he wants to know about himself, then he wouldn't dream." Edward smirked. Roy joined in quietly, not wanting to give away his parental streak now. _What an evil child. _He thought quietly.

"Go home." He pointed to the house. "Get in doors. Edward, dinner is probably cold now, so make yourself something, ok? _It'll _sleep in your room."

"Rodger that, _general!" _He ran up to Roy, and despite his age, gave him a big hug. Roy just about heard the quiet '_I love you' _from the boy, before he span around, grinning at Zeit, and began to run towards the house. Zeit lingered for a bit, pausing to look at Roy who was attempting to disintegrate him with his eyes.

"I'm warning you." He said flatly. "I meant every word. I remember everything."

Zeit smiled, and in a near perfect imitation, answered him cheerfully.

"Rodger that, _general."_

* * *

Oooo, Zeit is not as nice as he used to be! D: If this chapter seems weird, its 'cus I am rusty. :p I 'aint had a lot of practise!

Anyhow, I hoped it was a good enough upload. ^^ The next one will be up soon~!

WhiteWolfKitsune xxx


	5. Found?

Yush, I updated quickly. -Thumbs up-

Believe it!!

_

* * *

_

Screaming silence…

"You'll sleep here."

"I want to sleep _here.__"_

"That's where I sleep. You sleep," he pointed to the floor again, "Here!"

"I don't want to!!"

"Well, tough!!"

The two stood, in Edwards bedroom, face to face, nose to nose. The very notion that he, the great gate keeper, was going to sleep on the floor was ridiculous! Edward sat down on his bed and crossed his arms. Edwards room was small, even without Al in it, who had his own room.

"_I _am the person. _You _are the dog. So _you _sleep on the floor, and _I _sleep on _MY _bed! it's the way it works!" Ed laid down on his bed to prove his point, not bothering to go under the covers, for it was hot, even at night. He was surprised when he felt the sensation of fur brush up against his naked chest, and even more surprised when he nearly fell out of the bed.

"We will both sleep here then."

"But its not big enough!"

True enough, Zeit was crushed against the wall, and Edward was nearly falling out of bed. Being nearly the size of the bed however, the wolf didn't seem to care about who was in it or how squashed he was.

"I preferred you when you were small." The boy hissed. Looking to the side of him, his eyes met one big, round eye, the exact color of his, with a slit for a pupil.

"And I preferred it when I wasn't born to be chained to _you._"

"I preferred it when you both _were asleep!__"_

Roy shouted from his bedroom. The walls were rather thin, and the man was sitting upright in his double bed, Riza next to him.

"God," he grumbled, laying down again once there was silence, "Children!"

"That's all you ever say, Roy, but then you don't regret having them." Riza whispered back, feeling an arm snake round her waist as she was pulled to him.

"I know, I know. But, its just that _thing__…_" He sighed, tickling the hairs on the back of her neck. "Its unmanly of me to say this, but I am scared of it, what it can do to everyone, what it could do to _this _family… and don't tell me you like it being here either, because I know you don't."

Even if Roy couldn't see her front, he knew he was right.

"I saw your face yesterday. You pretended like it didn't exist."

"Its very unlike me to admit _this, _but it scares me too." She breathed in shakily. "I would rather not see it at all-"

"I knew it-"

"But!" She cut in. "Those boys… they lived without us for a very long time. They lived without their real father for a long time, too." She smiled sadly. "They are fine, they know what they are doing. It is obviously here for a reason. And if Edward thinks that it is safe…"

"…Then it is safe."

"Exactly." She snuggled up backwards into Roy some more. "Its fine. Trust them. Trust _him_."

Roy sighed softly. "I do."

* * *

Al woke up in the morning first. Saying 'good morning' to his cat, who slept in his room with him, he proceeded to make himself decent, putting on a plain shirt and shorts. It was weird to do this, after so many years in that steel can.

Then, quietly tiptoeing down stairs, he was surprised to see a shaggy black rug lying at the front door, _staring at him. _

Oh right! This was…

_Edward walked briskly past Al, with the wolf at his heels, heading straight upstairs without pausing to get anything to eat. The younger of the brothers stared with shock. This wolf! It was the one who had helped get his body back!!_

"_Brother!" Al called, and Ed turned. _

"_I'll talk to you in the morning, Al." He had said with a smile, before running to his room. The wolf stopped at the top of the stairs and glanced at him with eyes of molten yellow, before following him. Riza, who was lecturing Roy outside, had regarded the wolf like it wasn't even there, instead choosing to shout at Roy, who had nearly started a wild fire…_

This was him!

Al reached the bottom of the stairs and put Pumpkin down, who hissed at the creature before running into the living room and away from it. The wolf kept staring, and so did Al.

"You helped me." The boy said finally. "You helped me get my body back."

"What was wrong with your body before?" Zeit asked, genuinely inquisitive. Al was taken aback. _He__…__ doesn__'__t remember?_

"Oh, a few things." He giggled. The bright yellow eyes kept staring at him with an unreadable emotion. Even when sitting, he was only a little shorter that Al, and the boy felt small. But, he wasn't intimidated. It just looked like a big, black dog…

And so he walked up to him, knelt down, and put his arms around Zeit's neck.

"Thank you." He said emotionally.

Zeit didn't know what to do. Was it an attack? Should he kill him? What should he do?! He pointed his nose downwards and made a _hurring_ sound which he hoped sounded non-threatening.

"What for?" He said.

"For helping brother and me."

Ah, the boys brother. He still didn't really recognise him, but judging by how he looked, he was guessing that he was young, possibly a few years younger than Ed. This boy, clinging to his fur, saying thank you to him for something he didn't remember doing, was the brother of the guy he was tethered too, who had set him free. He decided to give him the comfort, and rubbed his muzzle against the side of Al's face.

"Ah! Stop! It tickles!" Al giggled, trying to stifle his laughter.

"Alphonse.. that's who you are, right?"

"Yes!"

Zeit got to his feet and Al let go of him, looking with puzzled eyes. Zeit smiled to himself as in his mind, faintly, he could see him, Edward, and… a suit of steel armour that talked…

He remembered something.

"Thank you for telling me about myself." He grinned at the boy. "I'll do whatever you want me too."

Alphonse's eyes went wide with possibility.

* * *

Edward awoke to a lonely bed, and he was instantly awake. It took him a little while to register the fact that he, who had fallen asleep that night which a giant furry creature in his bed, was now alone in his room, not a scrap of fur to be seen.

"…Zeit?" He called, looking around. Nothing. _Aw, shit._

He clambered out of bed in nothing but his boxers, and ran to Al's room to check if Al was alright. Al wasn't in the room.

_Shit shit shit!!_

_Do I really not trust him this much?_

"Nhhmm… Edward?" Roy poked his head out of his and Riza's room with a confused look. "Why are you running up and down?"

"I can't find Zeit… or Al."

Roy was suddenly alert. Riza had apparently heard what they were saying, and was also getting out of bed in alarm, grabbing her pistol (which she kept next to her bed). Roy, who was in his plain red pyjamas and Riza, who was in a cream night gown, followed the semi-naked boy as he dashed down the stairs.

"Zeit!" Edward called.

"Al?" Roy joined in.

"Maybe they are outside?" Suggested Riza, who was quite calm despite her inner feelings. She opened the door, and all three went outside in the morning sun, not slightly conscious of their appearance in the least. Nope. There was not a single soul around.

"See, Edward!" Roy shouted at him, on the brink of panic. "He has Al! I knew we should have never let him in!"

Edward visibly flinched and looked downwards in shame, heart hurting and wanting his baby brother. He tried to reach out to Zeit with his mind, but there was nothing there.

_Zeit?_

He tried. Nothing.

_Ziet, where are you?!_

And all of a sudden, he felt a rush of air blow past him, roughly tussling his hair, yet there was nothing there. Riza and Roy felt it too, and all of them swivelled instinctively to the direction it was blowing to.

"There!" Ed pointed upwards.

And there, on the roof, was a wolf running across it, with a boy on his back clinging on to his antlers for dear life. They kept moving, Zeit looking as if he was dancing across the tiles, before he jumped off gracefully into the air and landed lightly on the grass, not pausing for a second before running a considerable distance and jumping high, impossibly high, into the air, and then landing, only to start running again. It looked mesmerising, and neither of the three on the ground could take their eyes off of them.

"What the hell are they doing!?" Roy hissed. Zeit leapt up into the air and twisted around in mid-flight before another perfect landing, Al squeaked in amazement as he managed to keep a grip on the wolf even when upside down.

"He's going to get himself killed!!" Roy was about to run over there, when Riza grabbed his hand and shook her head in a clear indication of 'no'. Turning to the bewildered Edward, she smiled as he acknowledged her.

"Edward, can you ask your wolf to come back please?" She asked politely. Ed nodded, put his real two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. Zeit was still running around, but he turned his head slightly to Ed. The boy waved his arms, telling him to come over, and the wolf sped over to them, Al screaming in delight at the sheer speed. They skidded to a halt in front of the trio, Zeit's face emotionless, as usual, and Al's eyes shining with delight.

"Did you see?!" He panted. "We span- flew- all the way over there- and then we ran- it was brilliant!!" He jumped off of Zeit and immediately ran into Riza's arms.

"Did you see, mom, did you see?"

Riza laughed and patted his head. "I did, Al. It looked fun. We were just a little worried when we woke up and you were not there."

"A little?" Roy huffed, turning to the wolf. "Why were you running around with him on your back? He could have gotten seriously hurt or something!"

"Well, you see," the mocking tone of his voice annoyed the man till no end, "He asked me too."

"He… asked you?"

"I wanted to ride on his back!" Al let go of Riza, and then hugged Roy. "He said I could. I'm fine!"

Zeit allowed Al to hug him as well, seeing as he was hugging everyone, and after Al had hugged Ed too and had then ran over to his parents to tell them about his short adventure, Ziet trotted up to Edward, who was looking at him with a mix of emotions.

"Why did you do something for him?" Edward tilted his head. "Its not like you."

"He done something for me!" Zeit pulled back his lips in a mild snarl. "Isn't that reason enough?"

He flicked his tail submissively, and walked away to the edge of the house, and collapsed in the sun, closing his eyes.

Ed continued to stare on.

_How odd._

* * *

It was late in the day, when Roy saw Zeit again. The wolf was yawning and stretching out on the lawn, whilst everyone else done chores and other things. Ed had gone to visit Winry, and decided against bringing him, leaving him bored. He wasn't even sure if the boy was going to tell her that he was here, but he didn't care either way.

Roy walked over to him stiffly, and Zeit pretended to not see him.

"Oi." The fire alchemist called. Zeit ignored him. "Don't pretend you don't hear me."

"What do you want?" The wolf looked at the man with narrow eyes.

"I want to know what you are planning."

Zeit looked at him blandly. His ear twitched in annoyance, and he felt the urge to snap the mans neck in half deep within him, but he contained himself.

"Planning?" He grinned. "I'm not planning anything."

"But you disappeared, on the ice field, quite some time ago." Roy pointed out. "Edward told me you had destroyed yourself. So, why are you still here?"

"… No idea." He shrugged as best as he could with his shoulders. "I forgot a lot of things. But, when I was in the gate, I kept remembering things, about Edward, and I want to find out _why _I am here, and why I don't remember anything-"

"Oh yeah, you don't remember anything." The man cocked an eyebrow on him and placed his hands on his hips. "Why?"

"Duh, , I don't know! _I don__'__t remember anything!_" This man, Edwards father, was terribly annoying, not to mention extremely thick. "Look, seriously, what do you want?!"

"Nothing." Roy sniffed, and began to walk away, back towards the house.

"Bastard." Zeit sniffed, rising and walking in the opposite direction. It was a nice day out, even if it was late, and after spending the day doing _absolutely nothing, _his legs had gotten stiff. He needed to walk, _anywhere at all, _but he was sure to stay away from that girls house, 'Winry'. He had a feeling she wouldn't like him.

The house had disappeared in the horizon, when he found the barn which was no longer cornered off. He remembered, he had killed some guy here, who had tried to do some stupid alchemy in connection to that useless 'Pro-duty' place.

He walked inside, and snuffled around in the hay. He could smell men, rats, dirt, but nothing else. He looked at the transmutation circle, that had not, surprisingly, been removed. He studied it.

_It seems… they were trying to attract me. _The circle was quite simple; it was like the ones Ed were wearing when he had first seen him, in his room. They must have already known about him to be able to use alchemy like this-

Suddenly, something snapped outside. Zeit whirled around, ran to the door, and swung his head left to right. There was a man, running away from the barn. Zeit, never one to let prey get away, chased him.

The man looked quite young, and wearing a lab coat that was pristine white. His hair was messy and black, and his trousers were beige and generic. He smelt, to Zeit, like he was one of those dead-beat guys that enjoyed their work, even if they were paid little.

The wolf ran, so fast he was almost flying, and the man, who looked behind him to see where the wolf was, realised he hand no chance. He stopped and pivoted on the ground, reaching into his holster and producing a gun.

It didn't stop Zeit.

_Bang bang bang!!_

A few rounds fired into the wolf, but still he leapt, clamping his huge jaws around the mans shoulder. He screamed and fell, pinned by the creature to the floor. The gun fell away from him.

_Who are you?! _

The man was shocked to hear a voice in his head, but Zeit couldn't talk because his mouth was currently full. He could feel himself bleeding from the bullet wounds, but he wasn't going to die, so it didn't matter.

"I… I am Jake!! Please… ahh!!" Zeit bit harder, producing blood.

_Are you from the pro-duty ward!?_

"Ye-yes, I'm new!! Please! Please!!"

_Why are they following me and Edward?!_

"Be-be-be-because y-y-y-y-y-ou an-" The man became unable to speak. He was shivering uncontrollably and his voice had completely left him. The yellow eyes that were fixed on him narrowed in annoyance.

_Pitiful._

Zeit let go, and the man breathed a sigh of relief. He then screamed as the jaws were clamped around his left arm. Zeit yanked up, hard, breaking it cleanly, and then he ripped the flesh apart, ignorant of the screaming. In a final twist, the arm came away from the mans body in a bloody mess, and Zeit spat it out away from him. The man continued screaming in horrific pain.

_Shut up! _Zeit hissed, grabbing his leg. _Your arm is gone; the one you used to fire the gun with. You are harmless. _

And so, he started to drag the man, who was bloody and hurt and screaming and crying, towards the house where he lived, bullet wounds leaking,

And a smirk on his face.

* * *

Lol, evil! :D Also, Al likes Zeit! Woot! -Party- But, sadly, Roy still hates him. D: Also, Zeit doesn't seem to like Ed much. Why is this?! WHY?!

Whitewolfkitsune x


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